Books from every corner of the bookshelf reviewed by your wild and crazy librarian on a one woman mission to find that special book for every reader across the globe. Can often be seen tilting at windmills.

I do not think that there can ever be enough books about anything and I say that knowing that some of them are going to be about Pilates.The more knowledge the better seems like a solid rule of thumb, even though I have watched enough science fiction films to accept that humanity’s unchecked pursuit of learning will end with robots taking over the world.-Sarah Vowell

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Bill Hope: His Story by Clifford Broward

Grammar Nazis beware!! This book will drive you nuts! For the rest of you, you get used to the rhythm of the run-on sentences. Not all of the book is like that as the good Mrs. Hawkins will help to correct his grammar to some degree throughout.

The book opens with Bill Hope in jail writing down the tail of his life starting with the first time he got arrested. He tried to pick the pocket of a great detective who came and visited him in jail. He told him that he would drop the charges if Bill would come and see him after he was released. He took Bill's prized onyx ring to ensure that he would come. When Bill came the man, Mr. Minick, asked him to do a job for him in return for dropping the charges. A notorious pickpocket prince's girl friend who has a habit of shoplifting and taking things from the dearly departed and mourners at funerals. She took a one-of-a-kind stick pin from someone who wants it back. Mr. Minick would like Bill to lift it off of her without her knowing it. Bill succeeds in this and Mr. Minick offers him work as one of his street informants, or as Bill calls them the League of Snitches. He won't have anything to do with it, but the two part on good terms.

Bill finds a rather expensive, yet highly unusual Tiffany ring. He goes to the local dealer and finds out how much he could get for it, but decides not to sell it. Soon he sees in the paper that someone is looking for it. He meets with a person to give the ring back and finds out that the ring belongs to someone new and big in town and instead of taking the money now he tells him that he'd rather have him owe him. This will prove to be a smart move later on when he gets into trouble and needs bailing out. He winds up working for the ring's owner, Mr. Vail then embarks on a dangerous adventure.

This book is a really good yarn of a story. Bill Hope is a sweet rascal of a character who doesn't give up on people once he's invested in them. He's an honorable thief who never steals from women or kids just rich men. He is always trying to improve himself by working on his speech to make himself sound better and buying clothes to make him look smart. Trouble still manages to always find Bill, though and it's great fun to read about how he gets out of it. I can't recommend this book enough.

Quotes

But sometimes the truth just isn’t enough and we’ve got
to believe in lies or at least what might be lies. Dan says the game of hope is
lie after lie and he sees just about everyone as liars who want to make folks
hope for better even though it’s a sham and a hoax and maybe he’s right but
without hope we’d all be in a funk for life.

-Clifford Browder (Bill Hope: His Story p 125)

The game of hope is lie after lie.

-Clifford Browder (Bill Hope: His Story p 120)

Truth is sterile; lies are rich and juicy. Truth is
jagged; lies are smooth and sweet. Truth hurts; lies soothe and console. The world is built on lies and better for it. Politics is all about lies, expedient lies. Religion
is based on lies, beautiful lies. Thank
God for lies, they make life livable.
But you must know when to lie, how much, and to whom. You must tell
people what they want and need to know.